This Friday coming (28th March) at 10:30pm BBC 4 will be televising ‘The Genius of Bert Jansch: Folk Blues and Beyond‘. Interviews and rare archive footage weave together performances from a landmark multi-artist concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, celebrating the songs and artistry of the great folk-blues troubadour Bert Jansch.
Ralph McTell, Robert Plant, Donovan, members of Pentangle, Bernard Butler, Martin Carthy, Beverley Martyn, Martin Simpson, Lisa Knapp, Bonnie Dobson, Wizz Jones and more pay tribute to Jansch, who died in 2011.
Many of you will will be very familiar with the line-up (even if the Radio Times are not) and we’re looking forward to seeing Berverley Martyn performing ‘When the Levee Breaks’, Ralph McTell performing Angie as well as Lisa Knapp and Martin Carthy perfoming Blackwaterside together. Another highlight will of course be be Neil Young performing Needle of Death which was specially filmed at Jack White’s Nashville studio for the occasion.
According to the write-up the concert’s stage set recalls the legendary Les Cousins club in London’s Soho, where Bert was a resident artist.
The Set List
RALPH MCTELL
“Anji”
JACQUI MCSHEE’S PENTANGLE (Jacqui Mcshee: vocals, Gary Foote: sax,
Spencer Cozens: piano, Gerry Conway: drums, Alan Thomson: electric bass)
“I’ve Got A Feeling”
“Cruel Sister”
DONOVAN
“I Deed I Do”
“House of Jansch”
NEIL YOUNG
“Needle of Death” exclusively recorded for this show in Jack White’s “Record
your own voice” booth
MARA CARLYLE (with Lisa Knapp: Ukelele, Dan Teper: accordion, Rex
Horan: upright bass)
“It Don’t Bother Me”
MARTIN SIMPSON
“Blues Run the Game”
MARTIN SIMPSON & DANNY THOMPSON
“Heartbreak Hotel”
DANNY THOMPSON
“Goodbye Mr Pork Pie Hat”
LISA KNAPP (with Bernard Butler: electric guitar and Paul Wassif: acoustic
guitar)
“Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning”
JACQUI McSHEE & DANNY THOMPSON & TERRY COX & BERNARD
BUTLER
“Poison”
BERT JANSCH
“Travelling Man”
VT from recording of L.A. Turnaround (1974)
BEVERLEY MARTYN (with Mark Pavey: acoustic guitar,
Michael Watts: electric guitar, Evan Jenkins: drums, Rex Horan: double bass)
“When the Levee Breaks”
GORDON GILTRAP
“Loren”
PAUL WASSIF (with David Watson: guitar, Evan Jenkins: drums,
Rex Horan: double bass)
“900 Miles”
“Build A Band”
RALPH MCTELL
“A Kiss in the Rain”
LISA KNAPP & MARTIN CARTHY
“Blackwaterside”
MARTIN CARTHY
“Rosemary Lane”
“Georgie”
ROBERT PLANT (with Bernard Butler: electric guitar)
“Go Your Way My Love”
BONNIE DOBSON (with Robert Plant: bongos and vocals, Bernard Butler:
electric guitar, Danny Thompson: acoustic bass)
“Morning Dew”
WIZZ JONES
“Weeping Willow Blues”
“High Days”
BERT JANSCH
“Morning Brings Peace of Mind”
VT from “Dreamweaver” documentary (2000)
ENSEMBLE
Finale: “Strolling Down the Highway”
It goes without saying this is one you do not want to miss: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03tdd6m
Then Later on…
Later at 00:30am BBC 4 Sessions will be featuring Bert Jansch’s 60th birthday career retrospective concert at LSO St Luke’s in East London. You can watch it in full below: